Famous Mountains Series 1 - Mount Everest

Mount Everest, Tibetan "Water of the Virgin", 8846.27 meters above sea level, with the majestic style of the world's highest peak, stands in the middle of the Himalayas on the border between China and Nepal, and nearby towers Lhotse Peak, Nanga Parbat Peak, Qiao Oyo Peak, Shisha Bangma Peak and other 6 sister peaks of more than 8000 meters, clustered with Mount Everest to form the world's highest terrain, majestic and extraordinary. It is both the highest "roof" of the Himalayas and the world's first peak.

Mount Everest, or Everest for short, stands tall among the peaks of the Himalayas. Tibetan compatriots worship it as a god, and there are many mysterious and legendary stories about its origin. One of them put it this way: A long, long time ago, there was a boundless sea near Mount Everest, and at the foot of Mount Everest was a fertile field with dense flowers and plants, and swarms of bees and butterflies. One day, a five-headed demon suddenly came and threatened to take over the place, stirring up the sea and rolling the waves, destroying the forest beyond recognition, and destroying the flowers and trees to the point of scattering and withering. For a time, a rich and fertile place became smoky and full of devastation. Just when the birds and beasts were cornered, waiting to die, the grass and trees were whimpering, and there was nothing to do, a colorful auspicious cloud floated from the east, turning into a five-fold wisdom sky walking mother, coming here, exerting boundless mana, and subduing the five-headed demon. Since then, the sea has become calm, the fertile fields have become vibrant, the birds and beasts have rejoiced, and the vegetation has become greener. The sentient beings living here are very grateful to worship the fairy, and the wise empty mothers are about to return to heaven after success, but the sentient beings are begging bitterly, begging them to stay forever, bless the world, and share peace with all sentient beings. The goddesses finally agreed, and they drank to make the sea reced, so that the east side would be densely forested, and the west side would be full of fertile fields, and the south side would be rich in grass and forests, and the border pastures would be endless. The five fairies have also become the five peaks of the Himalayas, forever dwelling on earth.

Historical records show that the first to discover and become familiar with Mount Everest were the Tibetan compatriots in China and the Nepalese people. There are many stories about the goddess Everest in Chinese Tibetan history and legends. Tibetan Buddhist scriptures say that this peak is a goddess named Everest Sangma. Everest means goddess, Langsanma is the name of the goddess, and Everest is its abbreviation. In the famous Tibetan work "Red History", written in 1346, "Tsering Ma" is mentioned, referring to Mount Everest. In 1717, the Qing government of China sent surveyors to map the Everest region and discovered that it was the highest mountain in the world. At that time, it was named "Zhu Mu Lang Mu Alin". "Alin" means mountain in Manchu. In the same year, it was included in the Qing Dynasty's "Imperial Panorama" printed on copperplates. In the "Qianlong Inner Mansion Map", "Zhu Mu Langma Alin" was changed from the text to "Zhu Mulang Ma Alin". Since then, the writing of the name "Everest" has been fixed and has been used to this day.

The earth has north and south poles, and Mount Everest is known as the third pole of the world, mainly referring to its altitude, which is unparalleled in the world. As far away as 200 kilometres, one can see its towering pyramid-shaped peaks, with colorful glaciers hanging from the slopes. The average annual temperature in the hinterland of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is below 0°C, and the average temperature of the warmest month in a large area is below 10°C, so that the cold climate can only be compared with the two poles of the earth. However, the geographical location of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the middle and low latitudes makes it have a combination of temperature and water conditions that are different from those in the South and Arctic regions, forming a unique natural landscape of plateau and high mountains. On the vast plateau, there are a variety of natural landscapes such as alpine shrub meadows, alpine grasslands, alpine deserts, and alpine cushion vegetation. It is different from the monotonous landscapes of the polar regions and high latitudes, as well as from the narrow mountains of the same latitude.

There are only two necessary conditions for climbing Mount Everest in May and September~October, one is that the wind is less than 20 m/s at an altitude of 8000~9000 meters, and the other is that there is no snowfall. Especially in May, these two conditions are most likely to occur, which is why it is known as the golden season to climb Mount Everest.

There are also two routes to climb Mount Everest, one is from the southern slope of Nepal, which is less dangerous, and the other is from the northern slope of China. The natural conditions on the northern slope are more complex than those on the southern slope, the climate is harsher, and there are two difficult areas to break through, namely the "North Col" and the second step. The North Col is located at an altitude of 6,670 to 7,007 meters, with steep slopes, glaciers gliding downward, ice crevasses criss-crossing, and avalanches and ice avalanches occurring from time to time. The second step is the last natural hazard to the peak, the rock wall is steep, the slope is average 60~70°, and the top is a 5-meter-high walled cliff. Even if you climb to the top, there is a certain danger, because the top of Mount Everest is a northwest-southeast direction of the Yuliang ridge area, more than 10 meters long, no more than 1 meter wide, stepping on the peak ridge, such as walking on the clouds, looking around the four fields, the sea of clouds even the sky. On a clear day, you can see the landscape up to 360 kilometres, but when the weather changes abruptly, the wind and snow make it difficult to stand on the ridge. And the perennial minimum temperature of the peak is -30~-40 °C, the air is thin, the oxygen content is only 1/4 of the oxygen content in the eastern plain, and the environmental conditions are difficult and treacherous, so it is more difficult to climb this slope. Mount Everest is full of magical mysteries. This uninhabited world has always been a sacred place that mountaineers, explorers and scientists from all over the world hope to set foot on. Between 1921 and 1939, the British sent mountaineering teams to climb Everest from the north slope eight times, all of which failed. It wasn't until 11:30 a.m. on May 29, 1953, that Nepalese Tengsin and Norgay and New Zealander Yi Hillary made their first ascent of Mount Everest, the world's summit, from the south slope. So far, the climb from the north slope has not been successful. Until May 25, 1960, the three heroes of the Chinese mountaineering team fought the bitter cold, stepped on ice and snow, fought the evil wind, climbed the ice slope with invincible spirit, and climbed Mount Everest from the north slope under the condition of severe lack of oxygen, writing a new chapter for China in the history of world mountaineering and creating a miracle for the history of world mountaineering. On May 27, 1975, six Chinese male mountaineers and one female mountaineer team member crossed the "North Col" and the "Second Steps" from the north slope to the top of Mount Everest twice, making the five-star red flag of the People's Republic of China flutter high on the world's highest peak. From May 7 to 10, 1990, the Everest Peace Mountaineering Team, composed of mountaineers from China, the Soviet Union and the United States, climbed to the top of the world in four batches of 20 people, setting a world record for the largest number of people conquering Mount Everest.

From Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, to Shigatse, and then to the small city of Lhatse, and to the south, over the 5,000-meter-high Kacuola Mountain, Mount Everest appears in front of you with its head held high. At an altitude of 5,000 meters on the north slope of Mount Everest, Rongbu Temple is the highest temple in the world, and it is the base camp of the mountaineering team.

From here, up to 5,400 metres, you'll find a world of snow-capped silver, with huge glaciers covering the slopes and glittering in the sun, giving you a dazzling blue color.

In the middle Rongbu Glacier, there is a rare group of ice towers: one after another ice towers rise, some are as big as high-rise buildings, some are slender as pillars, and some are as delicate as ice curtains, ice tables, ice shoots, and ice mushrooms...... Dazzling, colorful and beautiful. Arriving here, it's like stepping into a magical fairy tale world. This unique landscape of ice towers is due to the "differential melting of the ice surface" when exposed to strong sunlight: the side where the sun does not reach the glacier melts slowly, forming a variety of ice towers, and where the sun shines strongly, deep gullies between the ice towers are formed. These ice towers made by nature are more than 10 kilometers long from 5,700 meters to more than 6,000 meters, and are truly a rare natural ice sculpture art palace.

On the Tibetan Plateau, there are legends of two famous historical figures, and their statues and relics are still preserved. One is the founder of the Tibetan Dynasty - Songtsen Gampo, and the other is the envoy of the unity and friendship of the Han and Tibetan nationalities - Princess Wencheng of the Tang Dynasty. The murals of the Potala Palace in Lhasa depict the hardships and dangers encountered by Princess Wencheng on her way to Tibet and the warm welcome she received when she arrived in Lhasa. As a friendly envoy of the Han people, Princess Wencheng crossed thousands of mountains and rivers to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, sowed the seeds of friendship between the Han and Tibetan people, and was deeply missed by the Tibetan people. Princess Wencheng's entry into Tibet was an extremely important event in the history of the plateau peoples.

In 634 AD, the Tibetan king Songtsen Gampo quelled the civil strife, unified the scattered tribes on the plateau, and established the Tibetan Dynasty. This was an important turning point in the ancient history of the plateau. In order to strengthen the intimate relationship with the hinterland and learn the advanced Central Plains culture Xi the Han region, Songtsen Gampo sent people to Chang'an many times to pay tribute to Tang Taizong and ask for intermarriage. In order to strengthen the friendly relations between the Han and Tibetan ethnic groups, the far-sighted Tang Taizong married Princess Wencheng, the daughter of the clan, to the brave and intelligent Songtsen Gampo. In 641 AD, that is, in the fifteenth year of Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty, Princess Wencheng was escorted by the Tang Dynasty's Ministry of Rites Shangshu and Jiangxia King Li Daozong, and arrived at Baihai near the source of the Yellow River through Riyue Mountain and Daochuan River in the west. Songtsen Gampo came from Tibet to greet him. Along the way, Princess Wencheng was warmly welcomed by the Tibetan people, and when she passed through Yushu, Qinghai, the princess taught the local people to cultivate fields. Today, her statue is still preserved in Batang, south of Yushu. When Princess Wencheng arrived in Lhasa, the Tibetan people dressed in festive costumes warmly greeted the Zanma (queen) who had traveled thousands of miles to connect the Han and Tibetan peoples. Songtsen Gampo specially built a gorgeous palace for Princess Wencheng in Lhasa. To this day, their statues are still properly preserved in the Potala Palace.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is an area inhabited by Tibetans. In the ethnic composition, Tibetans make up 46%. Other ethnic minorities include Lhoba, Menba, Mongolian, Hui, Kazakh, Tu, Salar and Lisu.

The scenery of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau standing on Mount Everest is magnificent and varied, with ice peaks and snow-capped ridges stretching for thousands of miles, wide valleys and huge basins open and open, endless plateaus full of vitality, lush primeval forests, starry lakes and great rivers flowing for thousands of miles, barren lands that are cold and lonely and inaccessible to people, and "Jiangnan" where the four seasons are warm, flowers contend, and rice are fragrant. The Tibetan Plateau has many of the world's best. It is not only the highest plateau in the world, but also the youngest plateau in the world with the youngest geological history. If we use the analogy of a person's life, he is still in infancy.

The Himalayas are the highest part of the planet, the main ridge known as the "third pole of the earth", with an average elevation of more than 6,000 meters, and 10 of the world's 14 peaks above 8,000 meters are concentrated on the Tibetan Plateau. In addition to Mount Everest, which is the highest peak in the world at 8846.27 meters above sea level, there are Namtso, which is the highest lake in the world, the Brahmaputra River is the highest river in the world, Lhasa is the highest city in the world, and the future Buddha of Tashilhunpo Monastery in Shigatse, which is 26.2 meters high, is the world's highest and largest bronze Buddha .......

The natural environment on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is complex and diverse. Going to the plateau to appreciate the natural scenery, enjoy the wonders, and increase knowledge is what the majority of tourists yearn for. In recent years, the highlands, which are regarded as "mysterious treasures", have become a new tourist hotspot. The plateau is rich in tourism resources, with steep peaks and dense lakes. There is no noise, no noise, and no pollution in the lake and mountains. The southeast of Tibet is a vast forest sea, and the southern flank of the Himalayas is a rich area known as the "south of the Yangtze River" on the plateau. In the vast alpine grasslands, yaks are in herds. If you live in a tent in the grassland for a few days, you can taste the aroma of butter tea and the mellow barley wine, which is even more interesting.